Vancouver artists hoping to change public view of street art at 2nd annual Graffiti Jam

Over the long weekend, around 45 local and international artists will be hard at work transforming a Downtown Eastside alley, and are hoping to challenge people’s views of graffiti in the process.

The 2nd annual Clean Lines Graffiti Jam runs Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 133 W. Pender St., which was designated Vancouver’s first legal “graffiti wall” two years ago.

“We’re trying to change the way people look at graffiti in this alley and the Downtown Eastside in general,” Kyle Shipman, one of the event’s organizers, told CTV News on Saturday.

He said he hopes people from the neighbourhood and beyond will come out to watch the artists paint, and maybe even help out.

“Our goal is to sort of allow the public to come and see what it’s all about. They get to see people relaxing, painting, having a good time, just listening to music and being merry,” Shipman said.

The community and businesses have been generally “very supportive” of the Graffiti Jam, and the creation of the sanctioned street art wall, he said.

“Before the legal wall took off this alley wasn’t used for a lot,” Shipman continued. “It wasn’t a very nice place to walk down, and now that there’s art, it actually becomes self-policing in a way where people don’t leave a mess, they clean up after themselves.”

He added that tourists “that never would have dared” to visit the Pender Street alley in the past will now stop and take pictures.

The Graffiti Jam is funded by a City of Vancouver grant, some corporate sponsors and crowdfunding. It runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 3 through 5.